1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to indoor mobile radio access networks, and more particularly to an indoor mobile radio access network configured to detect a wireless device, communicate with an application operating on the wireless device, and, based on a notification signal received from the application, provide location information to an emergency responder, where the location information includes at least Z-axis location information of the wireless device.
2. Description of Related Art
Mobile services providers use several techniques known in the art to provide licensed spectrum service in areas of dense population and areas with large signal degradation due to the presence of physical structures such as large buildings. These techniques include the use of femtocells, picocells, or Distributed Antenna Systems (“DAS”) to extend licensed spectrum networks in these environments. While such techniques can be used to provide basic services, they are not ideal and make it difficult for service providers to comply with various government regulations.
For example, the U.S. Federal Communications Commissions (FCC) has several requirements applicable to wireless telephones. In 1996, the FCC issued an order requiring service providers to determine and transmit location information for 911 calls. The FCC set up a two-phase program, where phase 1 involved sending the location of the receiving antenna for 911 calls, and phase 2 involved sending location information for wireless devices making 911 calls. Service providers were allowed to choose either a handset-based location method (e.g., using a Global Positioning System, or GPS) or a network-based location method (e.g., using triangulation between cell towers). The order set accuracy requirements that required the location information to be within 50 meters for 67% of calls, and within 150 meters for 90% of calls if the handset-based location method was used, and within 100 meters for 67% of calls, and within 300 meters for 90% of calls if the network-based location method was used. And to complicate matters further, in July 2011, the FCC announced a proposed rule requiring that after an eight-year implementation period (i.e., in 2019), service providers will be required to meet even more stringent location accuracy requirements.
While current techniques can be used to provide general location information (e.g., the location of a particular building), they cannot be used to provide detailed location information (e.g., the location of a caller within a particular building), and they certainly cannot be used to provide Z-axis location information (e.g., the floor that the call is on), which can be of particular importance if the caller is within a very tall building, such as the new Freedom Tower in New York, which has over 100 floors.
Thus, not only would it be useful to have a radio access network solution for high population density areas with closely situated large structures that offers improved service to users, removes load from existing macro-networks, requires minimal additional infrastructure to deploy, and does not interfere with the existing macro-network, but it would also be beneficial to have a solution that allows service providers to provide detailed location information (e.g., X, Y and/or Z-axis information) for wireless devices used to make emergency “911” calls. Such a solution could also be used to provide location information to a service provider and/or advertisements to a wireless device based on a request for certain information and/or the performance of other functionalities.